products to market quickly,” explained CEO Mark Wolverton,Lush North America.“This innovation and agility is what sets usapart in the market.”Customer allegiance to the brand makes it unique as well.Lush has never had a traditional advertising plan. Instead, thecompany has always relied on word of mouth.

“We did social media before there was social media,” noted
Wolverton.

Room to Grow

But now, digital plays a big role in getting the word out. The company has more than 250,000 followers on Twitter, nearly a one
million likes on Facebook and 1.7 million followers on Instagram.
No wonder why the company’s global digital sales have risen
from $43 million in 2012 to $80 million in 2015. North American
digital sales are expected to grow 50% in fiscal 2016 to $44 million, according Lush’s projections.

With millions of Lush fans around the world and growing every day, Wolverton is confident that there’s plenty of room for the
company to grow in the global cosmetics industry.

“Look, the market is a $320 billion industry,”he told Happi.“L’Oréalhas a 12% share; we have less than a half of 1% of the market.”To boost its share of the market, Lush is entering new catego-ries in the coming months, with new offerings in oral care, colorcosmetics and hair care.

But even as it expands in new markets, with new and bigger
stores and new products—not to mention more employees, and
down the road, more manufacturing facilities (Lush currently operates seven manufacturing sites around the world including two
in Canada)—the Lush team is determined to remain true to the
causes it supports and the commitment to create 100% vegetarian
products that also happen to be more than 80% vegan. Products
are never tested on animals either. Now company executives are
looking into a fleet of delivery trucks that are petrol-free.

Lush supports a diverse collection of causes including gay
rights, shark protection and polyethylene bead bans. But instead
of being viewed as an anomaly in the beauty business, Wolverton
said more multinationals should follow Lush’s lead and develop
products that have a limited impact on the world’s resources.

“Why are companies selling $100 products that are really just
$95 worth of packaging?” he asked.

Lush is the complete package, Wolverton insists, for consumers who are trying to look their best and keep the world looking
good as well. •

Clockwise from top left: Pour me another. Who can resist this cleansing cocktail? The Lush team doesn’t rely on market research or consumer surveys to
develop new product ideas. They simply make what they want to make in their own factories—so contract manufacturers need not apply. Ho, ho, ho. Good little
boys and girls (and men and women, too) will be lucky to find Lush under the tree this Christmas. Lush is rolling out hundreds of new products in a wide range of
categories between now and February 2016.